Arabian Travel Market 2016

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate. Dubai Tourism recently launches satisfaction and happiness survey, as part of its wider Dubai International Visitors Survey (DIVS). The new survey is designed to scrutinize the end-to-end tourist experience and how likely a visitor of each nationality is to positively endorse Dubai as a must-visit destination, across the core destination pillars and services that are likely to most impact their travel.

The Ras Al Khaiman Tourism Development Authority, TDA, its new brand destination video, as part of a wider strategy to attract one million visitors by the end of 2018. RAK welcomed 750,000 visitors in 2015, and is expected 820,000 this year. For 2017, it is estimated to reach 900,000 visitors. The strategy aims to enhance the destination and demonstrate its rich Arabian culture heritage and traditions to a global audience. RAK attracts visitors from the UAE, Germany, UK, Russia, and India. The international airport of the emirate offers convenient connections through Doha to major European airports. 

A snapshot of His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive during the exhibition. Qatar Airways presented the new Qatar Airways Dubai Premium Lounge, accessible by Qatar Airways first and business class passengers, as well as Privilege Club Platinum, Gold and Silver members. According to the Qatar’s Tourism Authority 3 million visitors arrived in 2015, while Doha targets 4 million by 2020. Qatar’s tourism and hospitality industry is building momentum as it enters the second half of the decade, with this ambitious target, supported by US$40-45 billion worth of sector investment under the country’s National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 plan.

Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts, welcomed the visitors in the stand of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Middle East’s biggest theme-park destination. Dubai Parks and Resorts announced a large scale green land-scaping project ahead of its October opening. Around 15,000 trees, 6,100 palms and 1.4 million shrubs and ground-cover plants are set to take root across Dubai Parks and Resorts as the awesome new attraction prepares to make a lasting impression on the city skyline.  The opening the new family-entertainment theme park will create more reasons to visit the UAE and will therefore play a key role in helping reach the targets of the country, that is to double its annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020, and increase the economic contribution of the tourism sector.

Bulgaria’s natural landscape is awe-inspiring with rugged mountain ranges, pristine Alpine forests and miles and miles of sparkling lakes. According to the National Statistics Institute of the country over 9 million international visitors arrived in 2014 with EU countries revealed as the largest source market. 

Following a drop in visitor numbers due to political troubles and recent unrest, the hospitality sector is starting to look up for Egypt. The capital of the country will welcome The St. Regis Cairo in October, marking the brand’s debut, with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, bringing its W brand to Sharm El Sheikh in 2020. Egypt came to ATM 2016 to strengthen existing relationship with DMCs and to make new partnerships. The new Minister of Tourism, HE Yehia Rashed, was present giving interviews to the media and explain the beauty and the magic of this country hoping to maximize growth from the region.

The GCC is one of the Jordan’s most important and vital source markets with hundreds of thousand guests coming from the Gulf visiting the kingdom’s iconic sites every year. These sites includes Amman, the capital of Jordan, which is considered to be a hub for GCC travel especially in terms of family gateways. “The importance of the GCC Market for Jordan can be illustrated though several facilitating factors including connectivity and proximity; an average flight time o 3-2 hours as well as the ability of Saudi and other GCC travelers to enter Jordan using their own vehicles when crossing through the Saudi border. Other factors include the shared culture and language as well the safety and security of Jordan as a country in a state of regional disquiet”, said Mr. Nayef H. Al Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board.

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority, SCTDA, is focusing on the family sector and is positioning the emirate as an authentic cultural destination, in line with the Sharjah’s tourism Vision 2021, which aims to attract 10 million visitors to the emirate by 2021. Also, shopping enthusiasts will love exploring the famous Blue Souq, which is the largest of its kind in the emirate. 

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area, and the first one by international arrivals, which according to the Saudi Arabia’s Tourism and Research Center, reached 17.5 million in 2015. Saudi Arabia has plans to issue select visas to welcome tens of thousands of tourists a year as part of a sweeping national reform plan aimed at showcasing the country's rich heritage, including pre-Islamic sites, and encouraging Saudis to spend some of their tourist money at home. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, who is head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and the oldest living son of King Salman, said that while the country will be opening up, it will not be "totally open for everybody to just show up and come in. It is open for people that are doing business, for people working in Saudi Arabia, investing in Saudi Arabia, and people who are visiting for special purposes. And now, it will be open for tourism again on a selected basis,".

The tourism industry of Portugal will account for 20% of the country’s employment by 2024, as well as 13% of investment. Furthermore, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation is also on the up and in 2014 grew by 7.1%. 

Between October 2014 and September 2015, visitor numbers in the UK were up 3% to 35.18 million. Middle East travelers have emerged as the biggest spenders and half cite shopping as favorite UK pastime. The 30 co-exhibitors of the stand have responded with incentives and experience tailored to visitors from the MENA region with many of them to start their summer sales earlier in order to maximize on the influx of customers from the Middle East during Ramadan. 

For the second year in succession, Geneva, the capital of Switzerland has been named "Europe’s Leading City Break Destination" at the World Travel Awards 2015 ceremony. This distinction, as prestigious for tourism as an Oscar is for cinema, consolidates its status as an ideal destination for a weekend break.

A happening with the famous Turkish ice-cream in the stand of Turkey.With a history dating back to 8,500 years, Istanbul is the 5th most visited city in the world with over 12.4 million international visitors, a central hub connecting East and West, blending the past and the future, bringing together cultures and people from all over the world.

Amadeus Gulf presented Amadeus Touchless Solutions, a new suite of cutting-edge robotics and touchless solution aiming to deliver more streamlined customer experience. The suite helps customers focus on travel inspiration and travel selling rather than pure fulfilment-related tasks. The technology is built on a flexible automaton platform featuring four fully customizable modules: quality control, auto ticketing, schedule change, and fare optimization.

Slovenia Tourism Board is promoting medical tourism with a wide selection of leading wellness spa and hotels. Slovenia presented itself as aTh diverse water paradise in the heart of Europe with crystal clear Alpine waters to the turquoise Adriatic coast and healing mineral and thermal spas in the country’s east.

National Tourism Organization of Serbia is focusing for 2016, on the diversity of the Danube and other water treasures of the country, as well as the country’s potential as a spa destination. Also, as Belgrade is a vivid city with extraordinary night life, the organization is aiming to position the city as an exciting city break destination.

Director of Marketing, UK & Europe, of Caribbean Tourism Organization Mrs Carol Hay with Mr Theodore Koumelis, editor in chief of Travel Daily News, and the Caribbean delegation, in the stand of the Caribbean. “Arabian Travel Market has always been a great platform to meet local airlines and tour operators that operate in Gulf countries along with media and travel agents who are interested in the Caribbean region. With such great connectivity to the Caribbean from gateways such as the USA and Europe, as well as destinations in the Middle East, Far East, and Asia, this year was about showcasing the ease of travel onto the Caribbean and the many diverse experiences that awaits each visitor”, commented Mrs Carol Hay.

Travelport highlighted how travel technology is driving the industry’s growth and redefining how travel is searched, shared and booked across the Middle East. Travelport’s MTT, the leader in mobile and digital transformation for the travel industry, was fundamental to its ATM participation in 2016. A seminar took place that revealed current mobile trends amongst travelers in the Middle East and future mobile trends beyond 2016.